cotton ball

[ kot-n bawl ]

noun

1. a small ball of absorbent cotton:

   The vet showed me how to clean Poco’s ears with a cotton ball soaked in this solution.

Word History and Origins

Origin of cotton ball¹

First recorded in 1750–55

Example Sentences

Then use a cotton swab or cotton ball to saturate the damaged area with the color.

From Washington Post

I’ve never found a commercial fire starter capable of outperforming the Vaseline-soaked cotton balls I make at home, so I was skeptical of these.

From Outside Online

I put a cotton ball and some duct tape around it, and it stopped.

From The Daily Beast

Tuck him to make roasts 'n' chops of; 'n' if it was, we may be eatin' Cotton Ball for dinner some of these fine days.

From Project Gutenberg

But I never saw a hawk or even an eagle big and strong enough to tote off a half-grown sheep like Cotton Ball.

From Project Gutenberg

"The bravest war tiger would become a mouse with his body packed as closely as a cotton ball," said Chow surlily.

From Project Gutenberg